For those interested in the deep dive of authentic Japan Immersive cruising, sharing this excellent overview of our first day, courtesy of Director of Sales - Kelly Premdesky
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Yesterday was our first full day of Mitsui Ocean Cruises US and it DID NOT disappoint!!! Our stop was in Yawatahama, which is known for its citrus production, and of course fishing. This town gave us the warmest welcome, with flags flying, student drummers, and of course fresh squeezed tangerine juice.
Then we kicked off our first part of our included excursion. In every port, guests have an included excursion. Some are shorter half day experiences, and some are longer, so lunch is included.
This lunch I can say without a doubt, was the most authentic dining experience I’ve ever had while traveling. We went to what can only be described as a community center or small banquet room, and women from the town had prepared us an incredible lunch. Sea Bream is the special here. We had sashimi. We had “Shabu Shabu”, or hotpot. We had dried eel skin. And we had a whole cooked sea bream. We had a seafood custard. And a matcha dessert. And of course some green tea. THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST PART!
From there, we traveled to the preserved town of Uchiko, with homes dating back to the 1870’s. One of my favorite parts of the town is an old Japanese cinema covered in old Japanese movie posters, where people used to go watch movies during World War II.
From there we went to Uchiko Winery to learn about this small wine producing area and do some wine tasting.
When we returned onboard, we went straight to Ocean Market Square for the required afternoon ice cream and ice latte.
For dinner, we enjoyed Wagyu beef, naturally! But the highlight of the evening was playing a game show with all our fellow Japanese travelers, Yes or No. You sit in the hotseat with a spotlight on you, and for 3 minutes you are not alllwed to say yes or no. We alternated between Japanese guests and English speakers, and let me tell you…no matter language is being spoken, we all somehow inherently know when to laugh. It was a complete riot!
Day 1 was FANTASTIC!!
(For the ladies: FYI can I tell you that I had to somehow make myself presentable for formal night. If you know me, I have A TON OF HAIR. I never blow dry it, but I was desperate. We have a high end Japanese blow dryer in suites called Magnet. And I swear it transformed my hair and made it look AMAZING in 10 minutes. I’m on the hunt to buy one here lol.)
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1PSEcyTRqp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Yesterday was our first full day of Mitsui Ocean Cruises US and it DID NOT disappoint!!! Our stop was in Yawatahama, which is known for its citrus production, and of course fishing. This town gave us the warmest welcome, with flags flying, student drummers, and of course fresh squeezed tangerine juice.
Then we kicked off our first part of our included excursion. In every port, guests have an included excursion. Some are shorter half day experiences, and some are longer, so lunch is included.
This lunch I can say without a doubt, was the most authentic dining experience I’ve ever had while traveling. We went to what can only be described as a community center or small banquet room, and women from the town had prepared us an incredible lunch. Sea Bream is the special here. We had sashimi. We had “Shabu Shabu”, or hotpot. We had dried eel skin. And we had a whole cooked sea bream. We had a seafood custard. And a matcha dessert. And of course some green tea. THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST PART!
From there, we traveled to the preserved town of Uchiko, with homes dating back to the 1870’s. One of my favorite parts of the town is an old Japanese cinema covered in old Japanese movie posters, where people used to go watch movies during World War II.
From there we went to Uchiko Winery to learn about this small wine producing area and do some wine tasting.
When we returned onboard, we went straight to Ocean Market Square for the required afternoon ice cream and ice latte.
For dinner, we enjoyed Wagyu beef, naturally! But the highlight of the evening was playing a game show with all our fellow Japanese travelers, Yes or No. You sit in the hotseat with a spotlight on you, and for 3 minutes you are not alllwed to say yes or no. We alternated between Japanese guests and English speakers, and let me tell you…no matter language is being spoken, we all somehow inherently know when to laugh. It was a complete riot!
Day 1 was FANTASTIC!!
(For the ladies: FYI can I tell you that I had to somehow make myself presentable for formal night. If you know me, I have A TON OF HAIR. I never blow dry it, but I was desperate. We have a high end Japanese blow dryer in suites called Magnet. And I swear it transformed my hair and made it look AMAZING in 10 minutes. I’m on the hunt to buy one here lol.)